Nintendo Warns Of Fatal Skyward Sword Error

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Nintendo has confirmed that its latest Wii Zelda game - perhaps one of the biggest products for the holiday season, has a crippling glitch that will force players into a trap well within the game.

Although Nintendo has slipped in the console war - due mainly because the Wii only continues to become technologically obsolete and the company is not able to attract major third-party support - the company itself has managed to exude a sense of perfection and quality among its own first-party products.

That is apparently not the case with The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword. Expected to be perhaps the biggest selling title on the Wii for the holiday season, the game has a huge glitch that, if players happen to find themselves victim to it, could require them to start the game all over again.

"We have been made aware of the issue," said Nintendo of America spokesperson Sharon Matheny in an e-mail.

She detailed the glitch, writing that in a certain spot, if players save their game, "It will no longer be possible to proceed through the game on that save file. The only options at that point are to either start the game over or to use an earlier save file to continue."

Because the Wii is not as sophisticated as the PS3 or Xbox 360, a bug like this might not be fixable for existing copies of the game. Sony and Microsoft would likely easily be able to create a patch and require players to download the patch before playing the game, but the Nintendo does not allow for such features.

For now, Nintendo is telling players how to avoid the glitch, which is possible by progressing through the open-ended game in a specific sequence. The company has said nothing about whether it will even be able to patch the issue for future prints of the game. The company did say it is "documenting all feedback" related to the glitch.

The Author

Mark RabyBased in New York City, Mark follows the consumer electronics industry like a hawk. A published book author, he has a particular affinity for 3D technology and video games, and as such will surely be in the market for a new pair of glasses soon. Mark can be contacted directly at mark@i4u.com.